The Crying Earth
by ForgottenAir
Summary: Missing for 4 years, Toph was never seen. When divorce striked Zuko, he needed someone to always be at his side, against the rebels of the new peace of the world. When destiny decides it's time for them to be reunited, what kind of legend will be made? Unfortunately discontinued till further notice.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. This is ForgottenAir!**

**I'm a bit new at Fanfiction, which means this is my first fanfic! **

**This is a bit of a prologue, not the actual story. The next chapter will be another prologue so everyone knows what's going on with the Avatar world. The prologues are in a character's POV.**

**Please enjoy! And reviews are welcome with hugs. **

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do now own ATLA. If I did own it, I would be the happiest little girl in the entire world... **

**BTW the setting for the first prologue sets place during the war and the gAang are in some broken temple or something while traveling. **

**Legend: **_Sokka's Thoughts later in the chapter _

**Sokka **

He was supposed to be engaged with Toph.

The new officials and many people who wanted reunification after the Hundred Year War wanted the newest Firelord to wed someone from other nations, but mostly someone from Team Avatar. The master waterbender of Team Avatar (which is my sister, of course) was already taken, but the Greatest Earthbender wasn't.

It was a rough year for Zuko. Everyone was practically breathing on him to get news on who he would marry. For that entire year, his life was literally paperwork and engagement meetings. He never had the time for us NOR did he come to my wedding or my babies' baby showers! Of course a man's pride is hurt when a friend doesn't come to visit you for a while. But I'm not saying I'm hurt..….. Really….

Back to the main point, Zuko was supposed to be engaged with Toph. Every official and leader of the different nations wanted that to happen, but at the last minute, he said he wanted to marry Mai.

There was a HUGE catastrophe. Many opposed the marriage, but Zuko stayed strong and stubborn saying things like "I love her," and "She really is the one for me".

But those were the exact same words he told Toph too…..

* * *

><p>You see, Toph was like a little sister to me.<p>

Sure, she held a lot of blind jokes against me, and yes, she did have a way to always get back at me, but she and I shared stuff that weren't really shared amongst Katara or Aang. You could say she was someone I was comfortable to tell some inner feelings I had, mostly based on my past and my mother's death. She usually told me her feelings towards other people, especially her inner thoughts about our gang.

One time, she started to talk about Zuko. She kept saying it was weird for her to trust him so much after what he did to us. Sometimes, she even said she felt really weird around him. For example, she once heard a heartbeat so loud it scared her. She thought it was really strong vibrations, but it ended up being her heart. She was close to Zuko at that time and she asked if firebenders bought down heart attacks.

I doubt that.

Later on, Toph and Zuko became best buddies.

Katara and Aang's mouths fell open when they saw Zuko reading to Toph while having his head on her lap. She was smiling so much and she even began to laugh, and it wasn't her usual sarcastic laughs; it was for real.

Katara, Aang, and I took turns trying to talk things out of both of them.

"Aw, c'mon, Zuko!" Aang tried. "I KNOWWW there's something goin' on! Hey, hey, hey! C'mon, tell me, Zuko! PWEASE?"

"For the millionth time, I told you, THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN US!" Zuko sounded really annoyed.

"Aw, you're a really shy guy, aren't you?" Aang showed a big, goofy smile. "Don't worry, Zuko! Just as the monks said (I think), 'Love will never be silent…' or was it 'Love is always loud….'. Either way, we're eventually gonna figure it out, so suit yourself!"

And it was Katara's turn…

"Look, Zuko," she started softly. "I know there's something going on between you and Toph and I think it's so sweet for you two to be together… But there's a limit, you know; you're pratically five years older than her!"

"Whoa, Katara, what are you trying to say? And I said this already to Aang that there's nothing going on between me and Toph!"

Katara narrowed her eyebrows and gave a motherly look.

"Zuko, stop lying to me. I'm not that stupid. I know there's something going on and you HAVE to tell me what's happening…"

Zuko made a facepalm.

"Katara, you have to trust me. There's nothing going on between me and Toph and I guarantee that."

"Oh yeah?" she replied. "Then explain why both of you act so cuddly with each other!"

"If you're talking about me reading to Toph, that's because…. Uh…. we made some kind of ….bet and I lost and now I have to read an entire book to her every night."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Then explain WHY you read to her while having your head on her lap!"

"Look, I'm done with this!" Zuko raged on. "There's nothing cuddly going on between us and that's final!"

So, I decided to pull out my fake beard and have a man to man talk with him.

"Zuko," I remember saying, "I see you and Toph are PRETTY close…."

He looked at me as though I was insane. "Sokka, whatever you're thinking, it's not true; there's nothing going on between us. She's just a good friend of mine."

"Mm-hmm…."

"Look, I just had this discussion with Katara and Aang. And if there's anything between us, we're just friends…"

"MM-HMM…."

"Whatever," and he left.

Eventually, Aang and Katara decided to gang up on Toph.

"So…." Aang put his hands behind his back. "How's Zuko getting along these days?"

"Fine, I guess…. Why are you asking me this dumb question?" Toph answered. "We all see each other every day!"

Katara hastily pushed Aang aside. "What Aang and I are trying to say… is that if you and Zuko have anything SPECIAL (and I mean REALLY SPECIAL) going on with each other."

"Nope," Toph immediately answered. "If you're talking about him reading a book to me, that's cause I won a bet and he's a sore loser."

"Oh… I see…"

"Whatever, Sugar Queen,"

* * *

><p>It was close to sunset and Aang, Katara, and Zuko went to get some food. Since Toph and I were alone, I decided to take this opportunity and talk to her.<p>

She was sitting at the edge of the broken balcony. Her feet were swaying back and forth in the air and she seemed deep in thought. I tried to sneak up on her but…

"Sokka, I know you're there," she said. She didn't bother moving her head.

I wanted to say something, but cat's got my tongue.

"So…. Uh…. Beautiful sunset!"

"I can't see, remember? I'M BLIND…."

"Oh, right… Sorry…."

The conversation started out wrong. We were both awkward and she didn't bother to say anything back.

Taking deep breaths, I finally got the courage to ask, "Toph, is there really something going on between you and Zuko?"

She stayed silent.

"You know you can talk to me," I added.

She stayed silent again, but this time, she was trying to think of what to say.

She held out a huge sigh. "I wish I could…."

Those words gave away my full attention.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Look, Sokka, it's not that easy to explain!"

"Geez, Toph! You don't need to be so worked up about it!"

There was another silence.

"Why do you assume it's so hard to talk about?" I started.

Toph was quiet for a long time.

Then she told me stories about the late nights while everyone sleeps, she and Zuko were the only ones awake. During those times, both of them started to share their past stories and problems. Eventually they ended up knowing both weren't that much different from each other and from then on, they became really good buddies.

"See, Sokka, there's no mushy romance between us," Toph exclaimed. "We're just being misunderstood and I hate it how you, Aang, and Katara keep thinking we're lying!" She folded her arms across, not bothered to look at me.

"I guess I owe you an apology, Toph," I said. "I'm sorry."

"You better be or I'll bury you so low in the ground, no one will ever find you and you'll die miserably in a hole! Got that?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good…"

* * *

><p>That night, I didn't sleep. I was eavesdropping Toph and Zuko talking at the edge of the balcony. It wasn't easy to hear what they were saying, but their voices traveled through echoes and it helped a lot.<p>

"How was food scavenging with Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen?"

"Horrible. They kept asking the same questions all over again. I almost burned the whole forest down."

_Typical Zuko…._

"Ouch; must've been fun, huh, Princess?…"

"No kidding…."

The silence was filled with crickets chirping a song and the leaves of the trees scattering with the breeze. (Hm… I feel poetic…)

"How were you? Did you talk with Sokka?"

"Yeah…. What about it?"

"Did you tell him the truth?"

_The truth?_

"Not really…. Don't worry, Sparky Pants, I didn't reveal too much. I just skipped out a few facts, that's all…."

_Haha! Sparky Pants… That's actually a good one…._

_Wait, what?_

"Good. I don't want anyone to find out about us…"

_Find out about what?_

"Isn't it obvious they're going to realize sooner or later?"

_Realize what?_

"They will, eventually. But right now, I just want us two to be alone…"

_Ok, that just sounded like a creeper…._

"Aren't we for now?"

_Nope!_

"Look, Toph, ever since I talked to you, a few nights ago…"

_Aw man! This is going to be one of Zuko's boring life stories, isn't it?_

"… I became a happier person. I shared things I haven't talked about to anyone else, including my feelings about my mother and how much I've changed. I was always afraid everyone, including my sister, would mock me and laugh at me in humiliation if I did…

"In my entire life, I bottled up my true inner feelings I haven't been able to talk to my uncle about. But when I talked to you, it seemed as though everything inside me all flew out. And the best part is, you actually understood me….

"When I talked to you, it seemed as though everything was clearer. When I talked to you, I found answers I've been looking for. When I talked about really hard times, you actually cried for me…"

"Hey," Toph stated. "I told you, there was something in my eye…"

"Liar," Zuko replied back. "Toph, you're the person I was actually looking for; someone who is strong, but at the same time, you're really compassionate and kind-"

_Well… she is….but she barely shows it…._

"I am?"

"Yes, Toph, you are. You just don't really know yourself because you're used to that pompous attitude of yours all the time…."

"Well, I'm flattered," I could tell she made a smug face. "Continue and praise me, your highness…"

"… You're…. uh…. Um…." Zuko took awhile to say this. "You're incredibly beautiful…"

I could hear Toph's eyes widening in surprise.

"Nice joke," I heard her say. She laughed a lot.

"Toph, I'm serious!"

"First of all, your highness," Toph started. "I don't know how you can say that to someone five years younger than you! You're practically saying you think a CHILD is beautiful, not a woman or someone of your age. And besides, even if I'm blind, I can't really tell the difference between ugly and beautiful, especially on looks….. Are you right in your head?"

A slap sound was heard. It sounded awfully similar with Zuko's facepalm.

"Toph, I was serious about that," Zuko struggled to talk any further while Toph was quietly laughing. "And I didn't mean your appearance… Uh, I mean, you are a really beautiful person outside…. But… the POINT IS: What I meant to say... is that you, as the real person you are, are beautiful…."

Toph stopped laughing.

"What are you talking about?" she complained. "I'm the least beautiful person there is in this entire world!"

"What are you talking about? Stop lying to yourself!"

"Well, stop lying to me!"

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"Fine; then test my heartbeat! See if I'm lying to you or not!"

I looked over and saw Zuko pulled Toph's hand onto his chest. The moonlight made her red face obvious.

"L-Let go of me! What are you trying to do: make a girl feel your chest? Pervert!"

Toph tried her best to avoid her hand to go on his chest….

But she finally stayed calm when her palms rested outside his heart….

There was another great silence….

"Tell me, Toph. Was I lying?"

The air felt hot.

"N…no," she whispered.

Zuko's free hand took Toph's hand and had her very close, face-wise.

He took Toph's hand to his scar.

"Can you feel my face, Toph?"

Toph's hand began to scatter across his face.

"I felt a scar. It's a bit rough…. And then next to it is soft skin…."

"Can you see me with vibrations?" Zuko asked with lots of hope. Toph nodded.

"Yeah…. I can 'see' you, but not all the details and colors, obviously…. Wait, hang on for a second…" Toph took her hand to release the meteor bracelet I gave her a while back.

"Wear this," she told him. He did exactly has he was told.

"Why do you want me to wear it?" he asked her.

"Zuko… That bracelet is made out of this weird space rock. That space rock keeps transmitting ultra-fast vibrations that makes me able to actually see you, but without colors, of course. It also helps me see really great distance. Usually whenever I wanted to see someone, I had to keep moving my feet in order to send vibrations, but with the bracelet, it does all that work for me. I haven't told this to anyone else, not even Sokka what that space rock can do…."

"So… does that mean you can see me? Tell me what you see!"

"Well, obviously I see you…. You have long hair, for a guy…. And I can see the difference of your scar and the rest of your face…"

"And what else?" Zuko asked desperately.

"You're skinny… but still well-built…"

"Oh... that sounds right… Have you ever seen yourself before, Toph?"

"Never," she replied. "I tried mirrors, but reflections can't be detected from vibrations…."

"I see…" Zuko sighed. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry about what? Y'know, I don't get you at all… Why are you always sorry when you did nothing wrong but don't apologize when an apology is most needed?"

_You know, that is so true…_

"I'm sorry…"

_There you go again…._

"There you go again," Toph groaned.

"Toph, please let me get to the point. No interruptions. I'm being serious here…"

"Alright, whatever, Princess,"

An awkward tense began to spread through...

"Toph…. I love you…."

"I love you too as a friend, Sparky,"

"Toph, I didn't mean it that way! You just interrupted me!"

"Sorry, Princess… You can go on…."

Zuko pulled Toph's shoulders towards him."What did I just say to you?"

"That I interrupted you and you didn't mean it-"

"NO!"

"Fine! I heard you love me!"

"And can you believe that? Do I need you to feel my heartbeat again to prove myself?"

Toph panicked. "NO! I don't have to!"

"Then hurry up and accept that I love you…."

There was a cool breeze passing by. It ruffled the leaves and scared the crickets away.

"Fine, I do accept it," her voice was half-assed then usual. But I could tell she was just speechless and nervous. Her eyes weren't facing Zuko but rather the broken floor.

In a flash of a second, I saw Zuko comet his mouth to hers. It seemed a bit surreal to me. I was too dumbfounded to move my eyes away from them. Right then, I was looking at Toph receiving her first official kiss (she told me she had her first kiss with a little boy when she was three, but that didn't count).

I couldn't really see behind the shadows, but I knew Toph was closing her eyes and made that moment memorable. It seemed long since they started kissing, but after they stopped, they looked breathless.

You know... maybe because Toph was like a sister to me, I had my manly, dependable, brotherly urge to beat Zuko up until he barely lived….

The next thing you know, Zuko told her to forget about what happened and ran off somewhere else. Toph was sitting down in shock, her fingers resting on her lips, until dawn stuck through the mountains…..

Ever since then, I knew both of them liked each other but they started to act more separate. I expected them to get together officially and eventually marry each other because of the world's wish…

But instead, he went for Mai and left Toph all alone…

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before their engagement announcement I found Toph sitting alone, outside, in the dark corner of the garden walls.<p>

"Toph?" I remember asking.

She lifted her head up from her arms. I wasn't blind, I could've sworn I saw a single teardrop at the edge of her chin. She was so out of character, it made me worried; when she was out of character, you knew something was wrong with her.

"Sokka?" she took some sniffs, wiped her eyes with the ends of her sleeves, and got up. She immediately changed into her pompous-self. But I knew something was wrong if she recovered too fast. "What's up?"

"Toph," I remember having cold sweat drip from my face. We were so quiet, I knew Toph heard the sweat drop on the tiles of the garden. I swallowed hard. "Um… Zuko's engaged with Mai…"

Toph's face was unemotional. "That's it?" she replied. Her voice was a bit too loud. "I already knew Sparky was getting married to Needles. So what?" Her final words became soft whispers. It was almost time for her to breakout again.

"He told me about Needles a long time ago…" she continued. This time, she tried to have her voice a bit more confident, but I knew she was trying to hard. "It's such a sappy love story. Girl likes guy and guy likes her later and they marry. Yay; such a wonderful story!"

"So…. You're just going to let this slide?" I asked her in a serious tone. She looked as though I just said the weirdest thing on earth.

"Whaddya mean 'let it slide'?" Toph replied in annoyance. I made a frown.

"Toph, it doesn't take a master earthbender to know something is wrong,"

"Yeah, so what? Get to your damn point already!"

I took a deep breath. Toph was impatiently waiting for my answer.

"So what I want to say," I started (and my voice cracked too much) "Why aren't you doing anything? Why are you not fighting for him? You aren't acting like yourself! If you truly like Zuko, why aren't you fighting for that small chance?"

Her eyes widen. "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" she had her hands up in the air, giving us more space between us. "Whoa, Sokka, what the hell are you talking about?"

My own patience was low on supply.

"I know why you were crying, Toph. You were crying because Zuko, who was supposed to be with you, ended up with Mai. You're crying because in the end of all the crap that happened to the gang, he ended up with someone who doesn't know half the shit he's been through!" every word I said, it seemed the volume went up a bit. "And worst of all, YOU LOVED HIM AND HE LOVED YOU but he ended up with someone else. Toph, WHY AREN'T YOU FIGHTING FOR HIM?"

Toph was silent and kept her blind eyes aiming for the ground.

My blood boiled, not because of her, but because I couldn't do anything to help her.

"He's really happy right now…" she whispered. I saw several tears fall on the tiles. "And if I do fight for him, I'll only look stupid." She wiped her eyes. "Besides," she continued. "Who'll fall in love with an ugly, blind girl anyway?"

From that moment on, I wanted to say she was beautiful and it didn't matter if she was blind, but I didn't want to hurt her any longer. If I told her that, she would've pulled a tantrum and started to argue that she was an ugly, blind girl, regardless of how beautiful of a person she was. It was hard to accept the fact she said in front of me. Since the beginning, she always told me looks never mattered to her because she was blind. In that very moment, she proved her logic wrong. She was just a regular, beautiful girl.

But I wish I said that.

**You have just finished a fourteen page chapter! **

**Thanks for reading all the way to the end! If there is something bothering you in this fanfic or if there is something you really like, please please please don't be shy! Reviews always makes my terrible days better!**

**See you in the next chapter! **

**ForgottenAir**


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! This is ForgottenAir!

To be honest I was about to give up on this fanfic but thanks to wonderful people in my life I decided to come back into fanfiction. Thank you all who read this fanfic up to now. It really means a lot to me.

Reviews are always welcome! 3

1.

**Katara**

It's been four years since Toph's disappearance(ed).

It's been four years since Toph vanished without saying good-bye.

She happened to be gone right after Zuko announced his engagement with Mai. Something told me there must've been a connection to all of this, especially when Sokka told off Zuko right after Toph left.

Even if we sent out a professional league of a search party, Zuko's and Mai's wedding still took place.

It was a huge (grand) ceremony; There were fireworks everywhere, nonstop music, joy and laughter for one week straight, just because the Firelord found a Firelady. Sokka was the only person who didn't attend the ceremony for the full time; he told us he was already sick and tired of everything.

Despite Sokka's bad mood, the rest of us, Aang, Suki, and I had a lot of fun, but it felt so empty without Toph.

For the past four years, I could've sworn I kept hearing Toph's laugh everywhere, but Aang told me it was just paranoia and he also heard it too. He told me it's because we missed Toph so much and that we would worry about her everyday.

Sometimes, I would get sleepless nights, just to think about where she was and if she was eating well and if she was fine….

It's been so long since I'd seen her, I would be surprised if she grew up so fast. Maybe she even changed too….

Speaking of changes, a lot has happened to all of us.

Two years after Toph's disappearance, Suki and Sokka got married. They would've done it earlier, but Suki had the mission to train and pick a new leader for the Kyoshi Warriors. She decided to stay with Sokka in the South Pole, as he's the newly leader of the Southern Water Tribe.

My sister tribe has given us great prosperity and growth to the South Pole. For the past years, the South Pole looked more like a rich town than a couple of icehouses. The population grew to a city and there were many waterbenders who came and was born. Because I requested for equality, the girls had a choice between waterbending or healing. I taught waterbending in the South Pole.

As the population grew, so did the family. Suki and Sokka had a set of boy twins, two years old each, Kyo and Kai. They seem to resemble Sokka a lot, from personality, but their looks were from Suki, except for their eyes and dark brown hair. The fourth year after Toph's disappearance, they both got a daughter, Taiyu, who was more like her mother. They would always fight and their sibling fights reminded me of the fights Sokka and I used to have when we were kids….

And Aang….

Aang became my fiancé, but after he had discovered a chance that some airbenders might've been alive in the hearts of the mountain, he decided to take a journey and seek out. He left three years after Toph's disappearance and said he'll be back a year later. Promising before he left, he gave me a kiss and I saw him, Appa, and Momo gone in the hearts of the sky.

It's devastating, but getting a letter is rare. I understand he's trying his best to search, but from a few letters he gave me, it's hard to send letters from the mountains (the messenger hawks would never come back and get lost).

It's been five years since the war ended and four years since Toph left. A lot of the nations have changed overtime.

The peace between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom still held grudges, even if many people from both nations want reunification. From what I've heard over tea, Iroh told me some people are still stubborn and persistant with their position and power that they would still not except the war being done. Many cruel officials and people of high statuses were stripped from power by Iroh so they can be given a chance to start all over again, but of course, many of them did not appreciate this.

"They are just being stupid to cling on to their past," he said. "Such people were already given the easier chance, but didn't take that and made the worst consequences."

The Water Tribe and the Central Lands are still suspicious of the Fire Nation, after what they have done to them. Yet after the new Firelord has done great deeds to help reunification, just as giving out huge deposits of donations to rebuild, and exclude the corrupt from their statuses, the trust between nations started to loosen up.

A year after Toph left, Mai found someone else that really, truly bought something Zuko couldn't give her. She told Zuko to have a divorce. He didn't take it lightly; instead, be became depressed, trying to figure out what was wrong with him and what he was missing that Mai was saying he was. In the end, both of them divorced. Zuko told us it's because he loved Mai and he wanted her happiness to be esenctial for her. If she wasn't fully happy with him, it would only hinder him and make her more unhappy. Mai thanked Zuko for loving her and thinking about what was best for her all this time. But when Zuko asked why she was leaving him, she said these words: "In your eyes, there was always someone else. Whenever you told me you loved me, it bothered me that it seemed as though you were saying it to someone else. When I saw my reflection in your eyes, I saw someone else. It wasn't me you were in love with, Zuko. Because of that, it hurt me so much. Now, you know."

Zuko is now a struggling Firelord, with no one to be next to his side when he was in trouble with himself or he just needed some comfort. Whenever the gang and I saw him, he's gotten thinner and weaker, but wisdom was all over his face (not to mention stress and bags under his eyes).

I still asked him if he needed his scar to be healed. He said it was unnecessary because the scar was something that made him to who he was and he was keeping it to remind him all of what happened in those years during the war and what had changed him into the man he was today.

Sokka still had a grudge on Zuko, and after hearing the news and Mai's last words before departure, he almost beat Zuko up for marrying Mai in the first place. There was a huge fight going on and everyone tried to calm Sokka down; we had NO idea why he was pulling such a tantrum, but Zuko wasn't angry; he was calm and quiet with guilt.

Under his breath, he quietly said "I'm sorry" too many times. But it didn't look like it was meant for Sokka but rather for someone else.

Since then, Sokka and Zuko weren't well kept in much touch. The person who talks to him most in the current situation of the gang is me, but he hasn't replied a letter for a couple of months. He must be busy, considering there are numerous revolts and groups going against him in both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdoms.

In times like these, I just wished Toph was here; she was the person who backed everyone together on their feet.

I really did miss her.

**Iroh**

It's been a while since I've met young Toph during those long years she went missing.

Just because I tell this to everyone didn't mean I haven't seen her for a long time.

In truth, I did see her… hm, let's see….. two years after she disappeared.

If I recall, it was raining that evening. The downpour was hideous, and I haven't had such small amounts of customers for a day.

It was almost closing time, and I saw my last employee run in the downpour. After I closed my door and decided it was time to enjoy my own brew of tea, I heard a desperate knock on the door. I hurried to see who it was.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by a beautiful young woman, her long black hair drenching in rain, and her bangs covering her eyes. She seemed as though she was running in desperation. Her clothes looked dirty as if she was with the earth all this time. I let her in. I brew a cup of tea for her to warm her up.

The carriage to my house arrived. I remembered her trying to get in the carriage: she struggled trying to get in, as if she was blind. She told me she was alright; her voice sounded so familiar.

At my house, I told my maid to wash her up and get her a batch of new clothes. After she did, I was shocked to see who was in front of my eyes.

It was Toph.

I was wondering why I haven't notice it was her. She was taller than I was, and she let her hair loose all the way to her waist. The comfortable green dress didn't hide how much of a woman she'd grown into. Her face was full of wisdom and experience and her eyes looked more alive, no matter if she was blind or not.

"Hey, Iroh," she called out. Her voice changed more sophisticatedly too. She was now a true woman by heart.

Young Toph and I discussed her adventures over tea. I did not ask why she disappeared, because I knew her journey was not something to be questioned upon. She told me how she traveled alone, trying to be more with the earth, and wanted to see what it was like to truly be the Blind Bandit.

She even told me how she had met with the Earth Spirit.

"He's shown me the wisdom of the earth and the full understanding of what earth is. It's a bit difficult to explain, plus, I promised him I wouldn't tell what the secret of the earth was."

"He has given you great honor and respect, Toph," I answered. I was very proud and shocked of her.

"He's cool," she smiled. "And now, I discovered earthbending like never before! I could bend wood, plants, sand, mud, and also change the physic of any mineral!"

"That's incredible!" and it was a very incredible thing to accomplish. Never in my whole life have I seen such great achievement from an earthbender, especially a beautiful, blind one.

She also has told me how much she had to encounter with the search party who was after her.

"They're good sparring partners. Of course, they always fail to catch me,"

"Don't you think it's time to settle down and go back home?" I asked her.

Toph had given me a gentle smile. "Yep," she replied. "But I think I'm going away for another few more years," she told me. "There are some things I'm not ready to face yet and I want to master all my new skills."

"Remember, Toph," I told her. "If you're running away from something, it is best to face it headstrong and solve it right away before the solution seems too beyond your reach…"

She took another cup of tea and told me she understood. She stayed another night and left at dawn without notice, only to write with what looked like earth-based ink.

It said:

_Dear Uncle Iroh,_

_Thank you for letting me stay. And thanks for giving me some relaxing advices I kind of needed to hear for a while. Please do not tell the others about me. I'm on a journey and I want to accomplish it alone. And thanks for packing great stuff in my travel bag!_

_And I also have to thank you for getting me new sparring robes; they're better than the other ones I had. I'll make sure to pay you back!_

_-Toph _

_p.s. the tea was pretty good, as always. Thanks. _

And I promised myself I wouldn't interfere with her journey.

But something also seemed as if she was running away from a person she knew.

Yet, I think I did know who that person was.

It was my nephew, Firelord Zuko….

A couple of days later, he decided to make a personal visit to see his beloved uncle.

"Hello, Uncle,"

"My, my, Firelord Zuko. Welcome. I'll escort you to a reserved room…."

For all time flew, Zuko and I discussed about his job as the Firelord and asked for many advices over some relaxing Ginsang tea.

"Uncle," Zuko asked, "Do you have any news about Toph?"

I accidently spewed some tea on my nephew.

"I am sorry, Zuko," I apologized. "I haven't seen young Toph either… It seems as though everyone doesn't know where she is right now." I took another sip of tea. "But I may remind you again, Zuko, Toph is a very strong young woman. I think she's capable of being independent for a while now…"

"I still think it was wrong not for her to say good-bye…" Zuko narrowed his eyebrows and stared at his cup of tea. He seemed very upset and disappointed.

"I think she HAD a reason for not saying good-bye, Firelord Zuko,"

Zuko looked at me as if I were an insane old man.

"Uncle, I think she didn't say good-bye for the fun of it and have us all worry our heads off!"

I stayed silent for a while, listening to my nephew rant on about ridiculous reasons why young Toph would've not said good-bye. Finally, my patience has declined.

"Firelord Zuko," I stated. "You seem angry at Toph for no apparent reason. Why are you so angry all the time? Why are you blaming young Toph for not greeting you before she left?"

It took a while for Zuko to calm down and take deep breathes.

"She may have her reasons, Zuko. Women are more sensitive than men; you need to understand she may have reasons that YOU may not understand very well…."

"Uncle, you don't understand,"

"Oh, I think I perfectly understand, Firelord Zuko," I put my cup of tea down and stared down my nephew. I already knew why Toph left, even without her explaining; I have lived too long.

Young Toph was in love with my nephew, but my blind nephew decided to break a woman's heart. Now, he carried the anger of a man who regrets breaking her in the first place. But why was he stupid not to realize by now?

But because of that, Toph set off on a journey to discover who she really was and what elements she was destined to master. But that still doesn't recover a maiden's heart.

"Look, Uncle," Zuko put down his cold cup of tea. "It was great talking to you. I'll be going now…."

I didn't stop him from leaving.


End file.
